1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a primary battery of the reserve type and more particularly, to a primary battery employing a latex bonded lead dioxide electrode.
2. Prior Art
Reserve batteries which utilize a lead dioxide electrode are known. Various means for bonding lead dioxide are also known. U.S. Pat. 3,318,794 discloses bonding lead dioxide with resinous material. U.S. Pat. 3,770,507 discloses bonding lead dioxide with a plastic and a synthetic fibrous material. An article published by T. J. Kilduff and E. F. Horsey in the "24th Annual Proceedings Power Source Symposium, May 19-20-21, 1979", discloses the use of bonding lead dioxide with either an epoxy and polyamide resin in an organic solvent or a water emulsified epoxy resin and water emulsifiable polyamide resin. Usually, these bonded lead dioxide electrodes are bonded to a conductive layer which is itself bonded to a shim. Unfortunately, however, quite frequently the lead dioxide electrodes known in the Prior Art do not have sufficient adhesion to the conductive layer to prevent flaking from the conductive layer or to prevent corrosion of the shim.
Currently, the military is utilizing an electroplating technique to plate unbonded lead dioxide onto a conductive layer. This limits the flaking and corrosion. However, this process is somewhat inflexible in production rate because of the limitations required in the electrochemical lead dioxide deposition rate to prevent causing undesirable side effects.
What would be desirable is a lead dioxide material that would have excellent adhesion to the conductive layer and which would be capable of making a cathode which would be able to undergo high production rates in compact production equipment, have high flexibility in capacity design size of cell, have high ampere hour efficiency of at least approximately 30% of high current density of 240 ma/in.sup.2 and be able to use lower cost lead dioxide, e.g., chemically precipitated type.